Grading machine



Dec. 22, 1942. .1. w. JOHNSTON GRADING MACHINE Fi1ed Jan. 50, 1'940 3 Sheets-Sheet l m/erfiur: AMEsWJu HN5 TDN Dec. 22, 1942. .1. w. .JQHNS'l ON.

w. u o 2 GRADING MACHINE Filed gan. so, 1940f s Sheets-Sheet 2 M m My AmEs \AZJu 2, 1942- V Y J. w. JOHNSTON 2,306,252

GRADING MACHINE Filed Jan. 50, 1940 3 Sheets-sheaf '3 Patented Dec. 22, 1942 GRADING MACHINE James W. Johnston, Manchester,

N. H., assignor to North American Holding Corporation, Syracuse, N- Y., a corporation of New York Application January 30, 1940, Serial No. 316,298

7 4 Claims. ((1101-43) This invention relates to grading machines for grading soles, taps and similar blanks in accordance with the thickness of the thinnest part as determined by the measuring means. For convenience the invention will be illustrated as applied to grading machines of the kind shown in the Nichols Patent No. 1,130,321, dated March 2, 1915, and the Cogswell Patent No. 1,726,610, dated September 3, 1929. The invention has to do principally with improved mechanism whereby the same blank-operated trip by which the marking or stamping means is operated, usually when the advance or leading end of the blank actuates the trip, also causes the operation of the blankfeeding mechanism for feeding a succeeding blank into the machine when the trailing end of the preceding blank clears the trip.

Since the general characteristics of such grad,- ing machines are well known it will be necessary to describe herein only such parts as will aid in an understanding of the present invention, reference being made to the aforesaid patents for a more full and detailed description of the construction and operation of such grading machines.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a partial side elevation of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of the machine shown in Fig. 1, parts thereof being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of certain parts of the machine shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation similar to that of Fig. 3 showing a modification;

Fig. 5 is a detail in side elevation of the gate trip;

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the gate trip;

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the gate trip; and

Fig. 8 is a horizontal section on line 8-8 of Fig. 3. v v The main drive shaft I extends from side to side of the machine and is continuously driven as usual. Fixed on one end of shaft I is a pinion '4 which operates through an intermediate gear 5 to continuously driven gears 6 and 1, Figs. 1 and 2. Gear 1 is fast on the shaft of the upper measuring roll 8 which is therefore continuously driven in the direction indicated by the arrow. The lower measuring roll 9 is geared to and continuously driven from the shaft of roll 8.

Between the measuring roll 9 and the adjustable marking wheel 33, Fig. 1, is the usual transmitting mechanism by determinations of the measuring roll 9 are transmitted to the marking wheel. The transmitting mechanism includes the usual slide bar I 0 which adjusts the marking wheel 33 (and the evening mechanism, when used), and the usual oscillatory shaft II carrying opposed ratchets l2 and I3. Other details of the transmitting mechanism are omitted to avoid confusing the drawings but are well known and will be readily understood by reference to said patents. The usual start-grading pawl I4 and stop-grading pawl I5 cooperate respectively with ratchets I2 and I3 to control the rotative adjustment of shaft I I caused by the blank as it passes between the measuring rolls 8 and 9.

A sprocket wheel I6 is compounded with gears 5 and 6 and is connected by a sprocket chain I! with a sprocket wheel I8, Figs. 1 and 8, loosely mounted upon a normally stationary shaft I9 journaled on the frame of the machine. Sprocket wheel I8 is therefore continuously driven from the main shaft I through the connections described.

At its inner end shaft (Fig. 8) constituting part feeding mechanism. The arm 20 is connected through a link 2| with the usual feed slide (not shown) which reciprocates in the magazine M when the feeding mechanism is operated to feed the lowermost blank of the stack of blanks S forward to the continuously driven measuring rolls 8 and 9. Sprocket wheel I8 is one member of a clutch whose other member 22 is splined on shaft I9 so as to be movable axially of the shaft into and out of mesh with the sprocket member.

The clutch member 22 is normally held out of mesh with the sprocket member I 8 against the pressure of the usual spring 23 by a shipper member 24, Figs. 1 and 8, which is pivotally mounted at 25 on the frame of the machine. One arm of the shipper member 24 cooperates with a stud 26 projecting radially from the clutch member 22 and is normally held in position to engage said stud by means of a spring 21. The opposite arm of .the shipper member 24 is positioned to I9 carries an arm 20 of the usual blankcooperate with a shoulder 28 on the push bar 29 ch t e meas re whose upper end is pivotally connected to an arm 30 projecting from one end of a transverse rock shaft 3| journaled in bearings on the frame of the machine. This rock shaft 3| as usual carries a pair of trip arms 32, Figs. 1, 2 and 3, whose free ends normally occupy positions in the path of the blanks passing through the machine. Each passing blank depresses said arms 32 thereby acting through rock shaft .3I and the usual mechanism to operate the marking wheel 33 and to stamp the grade number on the blank. The trips 32 are yieldingly pressed upwardly by the usual spring-actuated mechanism. The mechanism for operating the marking wheel and the spring mechanism for pressing the trips 32 upwardly are not herein shown but are well known and are shown in Patent No. 1,726,610.

When the trop arms 32 are depressed by the forward end of the advancing blank to effect the operation of the marking wheel 33, they also act through rock shaft 3| and arm 30 to raise the push bar 29 far enough 28 above the end of the shipper arm 24. One end of the spring 21 is connected to the shipper arm 24 and the other end with push bar 29 so that the spring yieldingly urges the shipper member 24 toward and against the stop 36.

When the rear end of the blank clears the trip arms 32 said arms rise under the influence of their usual spring and act through arm 30 to move the push bar 29' downwardly, causing its shoulder 26 to swing shipper member 24 on its pivot in a direction to disengage the shipper member from the stud 26 on clutch member 22. Thereupon the spring 23, Fig. 8, freed from restraint shifts the. clutch member 22 into mesh with the sprocket clutch member l8 and the rotation of sprocket I8 is transmitted to the shaft I9, arm 26 and link 2| of the feeding mechanism. Almost immediately after the start of the rotation of the clutch member 22 its stud 26 strikes downwardly against one arm of lever 34, Figs. 1, 3 and 8, which is pivoted at 35 on the frame of the machine and causes the opposite arm of said lever to press against the lower end of push bar 29 and swing it away from the shipper member 24 far enough to disengage its shoulder 28 from the end of the shipper member Thereupon spring 21' restores the shipper member to its normal position against the stop screw 36. Continued rotation of the clutch member 22 carries its stud member 26 against the inclined cam surface 31 on the shipper member 24 and said cam surface causes the clutch member 22 to shift axially of shaft l9 away from and out of mesh with sprocket clutch member 18 as the stud 26 approaches the stop shoulder at the top of the incline on cam surface 31. I

A spring 38, Figs. 1 and" 3, connected at one end with lever 34 and at the other end with the frame of the machine holds the lever 34 normally in position to be engaged by' the stud 26 to operate the push bar 29 as described.

Thus each time the shipper member 24 is operated by the upward movement of trips 32 and the downward movement of push bar 29 the crank arm 20 of the feeding mechanism is caused to make one revolution and stop thereby feeding forward to the measuring rolls the lowermost blank within the magazine M.

Pivotally mounted at 39 on the frame of the machine in position to cooperate with one arm of the shipper member 24 is alever 49 to which is pivotally connected the lower end of a second push bar 4|. From the lever 40 the second push bar 4| extends upwardly with its top end disposed above the gears and 6 so that it is accessible for manual operation. At an intermediate point the push bar 4| is formed with a longitudinal slot. 4.2 through which av screw 43 loosely extends from the frame of the machine. A spring 44 fastened at one end to the push bar 4| and at the other end to. a pin projecting from the frame of the machine serves yieldingly to to carry the shoulder" with its ratchet |2-.

support the push bar at the limit of its upward movement with the lower end of the slot against the screw 43. The free end of lever is positioned above the end of shipper 24 so that when the push bar 4| is manually shoved downwardly it will act through lever 40 to rock shipper 24 on its pivot and cause the clutch to engage and effect one revolution of the shaft l9 and one reciprocation of the feeding mechanism independently of the trip 32. A bracket 45 on the frame of the machine holds the lever 40 against lateral displacement and guides it in its movement under: the influence of push bar 4|.

The gate trip 46 shown in Figs. 5, 6 and '1 is bail shaped and its middle part, which extends transversely across the machine, is provided with two cams 41 which are engaged by the forward end of each blank as it is fed from the magazine into the machine. The two arms of the gate 46 are pivotally mounted at 48 on the frame of the machine so as to provide for an up and down swinging movement of the gate. One of these arms is connected by a link 49 with one arm of the stop-grading pawl |5.

When a sole is fed forward from the magazine M its leading acts against the inclined surfaces of cams 41 to swing the gate upwardly thereby acting through said gate and link 49 to disengage the stop-grading pawl l5 from its ratchet l3. preceding blank has departed from the machine it has left the pawl H5 in engagement with ratchet |3, with the marking wheel and evening mechanism or other grading mechanism, if used, and the transmission mechanism locked in the positions to which they were adjusted by said preceding blank. This condition continues until the gate 46 is again lifted by the next blank to be fed forward, whereupon pawl |5 is disengaged and the rock shaft H is freed from restraint and the transmission mechanism and gradingmechanisms are restored to their normal or starting positions under the influence of spring 56, Fig. 1", acting through the usual connections.

When the advance end of the blank emerges from between the measuring rolls 8 and 9 it engages and swings the trip 5|, Fig. 1, and acts through the usual controlling mechanism to lower the start-grading" pawl |'4 into engagement The blank is then carried forward between the usual presser bar and continuously traveling feed, chain 56v to the continuously driven rolls 51' and 5B, which form part of the usual skiving or evening mechanism. The grading action continues until the gate 46 drops off from the trailing end of the blank, whereupon the gate acts through the link 49 to engage the stop-grading pawl |5 with its ratchet |3 thereby locking the transmitting mechanism and the grading means in its adjusted position.

The same trip 32, whose operation by the advance end of the blank initiates the operation of the mechanism for actuating the marker 33, is controlled by the trailing end of the blank to initiate the operation of the feeding mechanism for feeding the next blank intov the machine from the magazine M. Thus the feeding in of each succeeding blank is governed by the departure of the next preceding blank through the same trip which controls the stampingv or marking operation. As soon as the next blank lifts the gate 46 the stop-grading. pawl |'5 is disengaged from its ratchet, the transmission It will be understood that when the next mechanism including the rock shaft II is restored to its initial position, and the cycle of operations is repeated.

Referring now to the modification shown in Fig. 4, in place of lever 40, push bar 4|, spring 44, screw 43 and bracket 45 of Figs. 1 and 3, there is substituted a bell crank lever 52, one arm of which is pivotally connected to the top of push bar 29 and the other arm of which extends upwardly so as to be accessible for manual operation. A spring 53 attached at one end to the frame of the machine and at the other end to the lever 52 yieldingly holds the lever against a stop pin 54 with the push bar 29 at the limit of its downward movement. On the outer end of rock shaft 3| is fixed a short arm 59 which is engaged by a stud 60 projecting from the side of bell crank 52 so that the trip arms 32 are normally held in their elevated position. The upwardly extending arm of the bell crank 52 may be manually swung toward the right, Fig. 4, to raise push bar 29 until the bell crank is arrested by stop 6!, in which position shoulder 28 will engage the end of shipper 24. This action will raise the push bar 29 independently of the trip arms 32, which are held up by their usual spring, after which the bell crank may be swung toward the left to cause the push bar to operate the shipper member 24. In this Way the feed mechanism can be started manually independently of the marking mechanism.

I claim:

1. In a grading machine of the kind having measuring means, an adjustable marker, normally stationary feeding mechanism and a marker-operating trip mounted for forward and return movement and normally positioned in the path of the blank and adapted to be actuated thereby, means for operating said feed mechanism comprising clutch means having an actuating member, and mechanism associated with said actuating member and said marker-operating trip so as to operate said actuating member to position said clutch for operation in response to forward movement of said trip and to operate said clutch in response to return movement of said trip when the trailing end of the blank clears the trip, thereby causing the operation of the feeding mechanism.

2. In a grading machine of the kind having measuring means, an adjustable marker, normally stationary feeding mechanism and a marker-operating trip mounted for forward and return movement normally positioned in the path of the blank and adapted to be actuated thereby, means for operating said feed mechanism comprising clutch means having an actuating member, and mechanism associated with said actuating member and said marker-operating trip so as to operate said actuating member to position said clutch for operation in response to forward movement of said trip and to operate said clutch in response to return movement of said trip when the trailing end of the blank clears the trip, thereby causing the operation of the feeding mechanism and manually controlled means associated with said actuating member for causing the operation of the feeding mechanism independently of said trip.

3. In a grading machine as claimed in claim 1, operating means for the feed mechanism further characterized in that it includes a normally disengaged clutch for actuating the feeding mechanism, a shipper for controlling the clutch and mechanism associated with said trip and shipper and controlled by the marker-operating trip when the trailing end of the blank clears the trip for operating the shipper to engage the clutch and initiate the operation of the feeding mechanism.

4. In a grading machine as claimed in claim 1, operating means for the feed mechanism further characterized in that it includes a normally disengaged clutch for actuating the feeding mechanism, a shipper for controlling the clutch and mechanism associated with said trip and shipper and controlled by the marker-operating trip when the trailing end of the blank clears the trip for operating the shipper to engage the clutch and initiate the operation of the feeding mechanism and manually operated means for actuating the shipper independently of said trip.

JAMES W. JOHNSTON. 

